From -6 to 11 degrees

Big 9.5 hour driving day blasting as far and as fast down the I5 as we could, with only one directional mishap in the snarl of freeway around Seattle. The temperature stayed around plus or minus 0 degrees through Oregon, but the roads were blessedly clear. The area around Eugene must have experienced a recent ice storm as all the trees were layered in a thick coat of dripping ice, making for magical views during sunset.

Hutchins, the truck, is performing spectacularly - pulling strong and getting amazing fuel economy. Andrew thought he was driving a Prius!

Oregon has GREAT rest stops dotted every 40 miles or so along the I5. They allow free overnight stays and some even offer free coffee and cookies!

We've settled for the night at a nice one 99 miles north of the CA border in Canyonville. It's still zero outside but we're snug in the trailer with the furnace on and a glass of vino. Buenos nochas!

Day 3:

Woke amidst frosty mountains. There are several lower passes in Southern Oregon before going over the Siskyou Summit at 4200 ft a few miles before the CA border. Then the highway winds down into California and the foliage goes from lush to dry. On this clear sunny day we were afforded awe striking views of snow-covered Mt. Shasta and drought decimated Lake Shasta before hitting the flat (yawn) agricultural belt of northern CA.

Andrew made friends with the parking security guards at the Sacramento Walmart to ensure a peaceful night's rest. It's still too cold to fill our water tank so that's necessitated some creative uses of buckets and jugs ;-)

Day 1 - Getting out of the Tundra

We pulled out of the driveway at 1:56 PM - quite a bit later than planned due to last minute prep - and got above the clouds on the sunny Coquihalla Connector. The roads had lots of icy patches and it was -22 outside from Merritt to Hope, but at least it was clear skies.

Used our fancy new Nexus cards to pass into the US at Sumas with ease, got onto the I5 at 7 PM and then to our stop for the night just north of Seattle at Tulalip Casino. This place has a special parking lot just for RV overnights - free! Though it's still below freezing...thank heaven for our furnace. And Andrew's already helped out a fellow traveller who was worried about his LPG warning light flashing - LOL!

Some pics from Day 1:

Ready to "Escape"

Looking outside this morning, it seems hard to fathom that in a mere week's time we will be in California and (hopefully!) not seeing any more of this white stuff. With all due respect to avid skiers and snow enthusiasts, winter sucks! Brrrrr.....our little home-on-the-road is better suited to sun than this:

We're reviewing our checklists and getting our Escape 19' trailer packed. Here's where we plan on hitting over the next four months:

If you have any tips or "must-sees" to share, please do! Bookmark this site to keep up to date on our travels!

T minus 20 days....testing...testing...

Getting ready to head south and making sure this blog still works...keep posted ;-)

Scenic Canyon Hike

The Mission Creek Greenway in Kelowna is a fantastically popular 16.5 km trail for walking, running and biking. However, I'm surprised how many hikers keep to the flat portions between Lakeshore, Gordon and KLO roads. Head further up the path, starting at the Hollywood Road access near km 11, to view gorgeous scenic vistas, green ponds home to mallards, and cute bridges. Enjoy fall!

 

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Ways to Wear Pandora

Pandora has become the fastest-growing jewelry company in the past decade, and with good reason. The bracelets and charms allow for personalization and are at a price-point perfect for gift-giving and minor self-indulging. Whether you love it or hate it, you have to admit it's a pretty savvy marketing strategy!

Thanks to local jewelry heaven, Posh Gallery, my collection started over eight years ago. I've bought and sold so much - at one point even had the solid gold bracelet! - and have now honed my inventory to:

Clips and multiples above; unique meaningful charms below.

When I see others with Pandora, they are inevitably wearing a single bracelet with a hodge-podge of charms. I'm surprised so few take advantage of the plethora of ways to wear this jewelry.

Actually, my favourite way to wear the bracelets is without charms at all, connecting the silver and leather to make one-long five-strand bracelet:

Or use the double Diva clips (now discontinued) without any other charms:

I also often wear my cache as necklaces using the long leather cord or both silver bracelets as a choker:

Ladies, get creative with your Pandora! And excuse the housecoat ;-)

 

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Chameleon Handbag Inserts

Tired of digging through the bottom of your bag to find the pen languishing at the bottom? Dread the thought of switching bags, plucking and depositing item upon item, hoping you don't miss anything? You clearly have not heard about handbag inserts! There are a ton of inserts on the market, from upscale Hermes to Etsy home-based sewers' creations. My favourite is the Chameleon! Thanks to this ingenious design, my fingers always know where to go to find whatever I need without hunting.

For me, Chameleon's are a step above due to several ingenious features:

• a row of small vertical slots on one long side - perfect for a Tide pen, my Space Pen (more on that later!), my Wenger Swiss Clipper (as featured here), and lip balm
• two zippered compartments - one the perfect size for business cards
• slots on the shorts side, both interior and exterior, for tissue, gum, hand sani, etc.
• the large interior slot big enough for sunnies and my wallet, and the compact reading glasses I must carry for DH!
• tiny handles to easily remove and insert the Chameleon between bags

The Chameleon bag insert comes in a variety of sizes and colours. Mine is the small in lime green. I've also had the medium, but tend to carry smaller bags - the small even fits into my Rebecca Minkoff Affair.

They are a pittance for their usefulness. Order at www.chameleoninserts.com

 

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